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Judge: Papermaster must stop work for Apple immediately

By Charles Starrett ● Monday, November 10, 2008

A U.S. District Judge has ordered newly hired Apple executive Mark Papermaster to stop work immediately because he might be violating a non-compete agreement he signed with IBM. Federal District Judge Kenneth Karas ordered that Papermaster “immediately cease his employment with Apple Inc until further order of this court.” On Tuesday Apple announced Papermaster’s arrival as senior vice president of Devices Hardware Engineering, but has since said Papermaster would discontinue work for now. “We will comply with the court’s order but are confident that Mark Papermaster will be able to ultimately join Apple when the dust settles,” an Apple spokesman told Reuters. Papermaster replaces outgoing Apple executive Tony Fadell, who will remain with the company for a time in a limited advisory role.